About the use of an adverb
- 'Terribly' is an adverb that means 'very':
I'm terribly sorry.
My dictionary says that it is British.
Does this mean that Americans don't use 'terribly' as an intensifier?

- It also means 'very much' or 'very badly':
I missed him terribly.
Can I say 'I miss him terribly much'?
Does 'terribly' here mean 'very'??
Do Americans and British people use it in their everyday life?

Thank you in advance!

Question

About the use of an adverb
- 'Terribly' is an adverb that means 'very':
I'm terribly sorry.
My dictionary says that it is British.
Does this mean that Americans don't use 'terribly' as an intensifier?

- It also means 'very much' or 'very badly':
I missed him terribly.
Can I say 'I miss him terribly much'?
Does 'terribly' here mean 'very'??
Do Americans and British people use it in their everyday life?

Thank you in advance!

Answer

Both the British and Americans use "terribly", however I do think the British use it more often, but both use it in the same contexts.

As for the sentence "I miss him terribly much", the word "much" is unnecessary, as "terribly" already indicates intensity, using "much" afterward would just be redundant.

Answer

Americans do use use 'terribly' as an intensifier, but its much more common to use very.

The sentence 'I miss him terribly much' is grammatically correct, but I have never heard someone say that in America. It would be better to say 'I miss him very much' or 'I miss him a terrible amount'

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!